Vehicle Highlights

What You Will Like

One of the most remarkable things about the Prius is how little it asks from the owner in exchange for its legendary fuel efficiency. Special fuel isn't needed, no need to plug the Prius into the wall at night, drivers are not consigned to a tiny interior and miniature storage space and finally, premium mileage numbers don't have to cost an arm and a leg.

The Prius drives, handles and behaves just like any other mid-sized car. It just happens to get the kind of fuel economy that makes people do a double take. Starting at around $25,000 the Prius is competitive with other cars in its price bracket, offering ample interior space, a quiet comfortable ride, plenty of interior gadgets and world-famous mileage figures.

What's New For 2016

The Prius has been totally redesigned for 2016. The new exterior is bold and modern, while numerous improvements have also been made under the skin. The new drivetrain is now even more efficient, with special low friction components, a redesigned air intake and improvements to airflow inside the combustion chamber. The new drivetrain even manages to be lighter than the outgoing one further helping to improve fuel economy, Toyota expects about a 10 percent improvement over the 2015 model. The interior has also been redesigned with plenty of new technology, helping to maintain that cutting edge feel that the Prius is so well known for.

Warranty

Basic Warranty: 3 Years / 36,000 Miles

Drivetrain Warranty: 5 Years / 60,000 Miles

Roadside Assistance: 2 Years / Unlimited Miles

Hybrid Component: 8 Years / 100,000 Miles

A vehicle's warranty can significant impact your maintenance costs after you drive off the dealer's lot, and it's important to understand the different parts. Typically, a new car warranty includes a Basic warranty, which covers everything except the wear items such as brakes and tires; and a Drivetrain warranty, that covers all the parts that make the car move, such as the engine and transmission

Compare the 2016 Toyota Prius c

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Introduction

Some hybrid-powertrain cars, including the familiar Toyota Prius Liftback, look different from the gasoline-engine models. Others look essentially the same as a conventional automobile of the similar size and category.

The Toyota Prius c, the smallest and lowest-priced member of the Prius hybrid pack, definitely falls into the latter category. When they look at a Prius c, most people won’t realize they’re looking at a hybrid, especially when viewed from the side.

Even after some styling and interior upgrades for 2015, the Prius c subcompact hatchback doesn’t stand out in a crowd, unless the drivers in that crowd happen to be exchanging gas-mileage numbers. Roomier inside than you might expect, this happy little hatchback is EPA-rated at a miserly 53/46 mpg City/Highway, or 50 mpg Combined.

Only one significant change for the 2016 model year: Toyota has added a Safety Sense-C group of electronic active-safety systems. Included are lane-departure assist, pre-collision braking, and automatic high beams.

Also for 2016, Toyota is offering a new version: a limited-edition Prius c Persona Series. Only 1,500 will be built.

Officially considered a subcompact, the Prius c is actually longer than many entrants in that size segment. Interior volume stemming from those exterior dimensions makes the Prius c truly capable of seating four adults. Assembly quality has been good, too.

Under the hood of the tiniest Prius, its 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine produces a modest 73 horsepower, coupled to a more compact hybrid-powertrain system than the one used by the two larger Prius models. Working together, the gas engine and twin motor-generators have a combined output of 99 horsepower. Engineers even managed to position both the 0.9 kWh lithium-ion battery pack and the gasoline tank below the back seat.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gives the 2016 Prius c an Acceptable rating for its rigorous new small-overlap test. The Prius c scored Good on each of the insurance-industry agency’s other tests. The federal government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the 2015 Prius c a four-star score in each of its tests.

Lineup

The 2016 Toyota Prius c comes in four trim levels, numbered One through Four:

Nine airbags are standard, along with stability control. For upper trims, an available Safety Sense-C group includes pre-collision, lane departure alert, and automatic headlights.

Walkaround

Size isn’t the only visual difference between the Prius c and the bigger Prius Liftback. The subcompact Prius c lacks the two-piece back window that has been a regular-Prius hallmark for the past dozen years, despite its effect on rearward visibility. The Prius c has a more conventional, vertical rear end: an ordinary top-hinged hatchback, set between tall vertical taillamps. A long roof spoiler is intended to reduce fuel-wasting air turbulence at highway speeds.

Interior

Inside, the Prius c looks more conventional than the larger Prius Liftback. 2015’s trim upgrade, using higher-level plastics and fabrics, still doesn’t match the quality of the Prius. Painted metal can even be seen in portions of what must be called an economy-car interior.

Front seats are about the same as in older Prius models: thin, but adequately comfortable. Two six-foot adults can fit in the rear without excessive scrunching.

The familiar Prius hallmark, a multi-information display at the dashboard center, below the windshield, remains the focal point. Dashboard switches, however, are conventional in appearance. Instead of the stubby, idiosyncratic gear selector in the regular Prius, the Prius c has an ordinary lever atop the central tunnel.

Driving Impressions

Only a few minutes behind the wheel are needed to affirm that the Prius c is hardly swift. But then, who expected it to be? Push it harder than customary, when necessary, and this subcompact will handily keep up with traffic. Be prepared to accept the inevitable noise produced by its small engine at full power, noting that not everyone is bothered by the sound.

A pushbutton-activated EV mode can keep the Prius c in full-electric drive at low speeds, but only for about half a mile. An Eco mode restricts power output and alters the climate-control settings, for even thriftier fuel usage; but forward progress becomes almost painfully slow. Even when driven with some enthusiasm, the Prius c is efficient. Reaching its 50-mpg EPA rating shouldn’t be difficult.

Agile and eager, the Prius c is ideal for breezing through urban traffic and slipping into tight parking spaces. Though not sporty, the Prius c scores highly as a small, maneuverable hatchback.

Summary

Prius c lags in refinement, but its maneuverability and practicality are in accord with rivals of its size. A base price around $20,000 yields the highest gas mileage rating of any car with plug-in capability.

Driving impressions by John Voelcker, The Car Connection. James M. Flammang contributed to this report.

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